political parties

Nothing could be more truthful in today's political climate! I think it is pretty easily assumed that most 'citizens' think of politicians in general in this way. One can also assume that probably most constituents think fairly well about their own representative regardless of the job they are doing. (take someone like Joe Walsh - what a horses patoout!)

Let's face it, our political system is one big mess! Conflicts of interest are just the tip of the iceberg - not that that is anything new. It's just that it has become a problem again along with the level of discouse, the unashamed, unabashed, unadultrated lying by our political leaders, the authoritarian leanings of our Congress and a general lack of integrity - the likes we've haven't seen in quite some time now.

Most are saying, "let's wait and see what happens with this new administration" but it will be no surprise as to what is going to happen. Perhaps the specific details are yet to be observed but the general sense that things will come unhinged seems to be a sure thing.

Until "the people" demand that their political leaders (to start with) must have integrity, display honesty and work for their constituency we are doomed to fail. There are enough "people" that want and see what is required but I fear that we as a people will suffer before anything is done. Let's hope it ain't too late...

(Originally published 2-18-2012) Irregardless of the stock market (yet another scam on the working class) or the current state of political discourse. Well it is obvious to most real thinking people that are willing to look at truth as opposed to a rationalized 'truth' that strokes their own narrow perception of the world!

Our Congress has shown the world that they are perfectly willing to not govern as a democratic nation and will (as stated in public by a number of Senators and House Reps, like Mr. McConnell) not only hold the American public hostage but will extort them through minority rule, in a non-democratic fashion from now on and that their only purpose or number one goal is to defeat the opposition party incumbent!

The reality is that one party has been shifting more and more to an authoritarian rule rather than a democratic one. The rush to make as many federal court judicial appointments, the absolutely despicable push towards more and more extreme gerrymandering of voting districts (this extreme version was in large part nurtured along by Carl Rove after the Bush years and termed by him as "Rat F***ked" - which is by the way the title of a book on the same subject), the equally despicable push of voter suppression laws particularly in what would be considered "swing" states along with a win at any cost mentality is costing us our democracy. Trump is (so far and hopefully not much more) a culmination of the last several decades of these kinds of anti-democratic tactics.

Infrastructure does not have to be restricted to the construction industry only! Please do not be so narrow minded and uncreative in your thinking when it comes to proposing a plan to generate job growth for our country!

Here is the challenge: I cannot think of one time where cutting taxes has spurred job growth, not a single one! Why do we hear this lie perpetuated over and over again by conservatives? Trickle down economics has been proven NOT to work! The government, our government must be playing an integral role in creating jobs and thereby stimulating the economy. Any 1st year student of history or economics knows this as fact!

If you can reference any actual historical fact where tax cuts and trickle down economics worked to turn around or stimulate a down economy please post it here!

The children in Congress need to stop playing politics and arguing over the rhetoric instead of the facts – go ahead but let’s get this done instead of lying and cheating the American people! Please!

We rely on a number of people to act honestly and fairly as our representatives in government. This is something we take for granted, but need we re-examine this faith in our individual government representation? There have always been those who look to game the system, to cheat and thereby redeem some type of profitability whether monetarily or otherwise. From our elected representatives we assume a sense of fairness and honesty. In the past we’ve held these elected representatives accountable by either reelecting them in the next cycle - or not. Perhaps there must be a greater point of accountability from our elected officials since the damage they can create by breaking the trust between constituents and those that they elect can only be remedied after the fact, after any such damage is long done.

Governors like Walker and McDonnell want to govern by absolute decree. They do not want to 'negotiate' or 'compromise' (nor does the Republican party nationally it seems by their own words). Is that not what, in part the definition of what 'governing' is - compromise?

Is this what we want from our leadership? Is this what we want and expect of our democracy?

The utter arrogance of these governors as well as the members of the state legislature is absolutely disgusting (let alone that of those holding national office). They have a right to hold a position and voice their opinion but it is clear that they don't believe in compromise and thus in governing - only in implementing their own idea of what they want in terms of policy and legislation.

Scott Brown of Massachusetts. doesn't wear a white sheet or a pointy white hat. He doesn't say things in public that are outright racist, like Jews are a scourge to society and people of color have a genetically diminished capacity for learning, but does that mean he isn't one? Do you have to look like someone's racist perception of something to be that? Does an American Indian have to have red or brown skin and braided hair, wear a headband with a feather and speak in broken English to be of Indian descent? Is Barack Obama Caucasian or African American? Is it a lie that his mother was white? Does he not have Caucasian blood in his veins? Is he not partially of Caucasian descent?

It has been very hard to keep up with the politics and general status quo these days. There is so much fear and hate... and yes anger. I know some wonderful Christians, Jews, Muslims, Catholics and people of most faiths but there are those that want to speak for the masses of Christians or Jews or Muslims or what have you - and they are often times loud - and I hear a message of hate and fear from them. Sometimes those voices are more moderate but like the proverbial squeaky wheel, it is the ones that are loudest that seem to get the most attention. Those are the ones that might cater to our base instincts, our fears, prejudices and dissonance. I wonder, where has moderation gone? What has happened to create a loss of intelligent, civil discourse and moderation.

Almost unlimited money in U.S. politics and a party asking political members to take an oath to the party! Just a couple of the perversions of todays political arena. Watch Bennie's discussion of these issues and then think, please...

Wow! It was frightening watching and listening to the BS that was strewn about during the Republican Debate (BS session)! Whether you feel the nut-case ideas are valid or actually nutty the propaganda and utter lies stated (not just limited to Republicans) are astounding! These clowns (Gingrich made the case the the media was participating in a conspiracy against Republicans) will say anything since they are never really challenged with factual evidence. (not that they would be capable of accepting fact that is presented that might be contrary to their BS statements)

Rick Perry was talking about the magic Economy Tree and the magic Job Tree that he and others on the stage would employ to turn our country around. These clowns said nothing, they speak in terms of pure rhetoric as if some of these ideas would magically create themselves and policies that have failed in the past will somehow magically work now.

Bachmann said when President Obama took office that gas was $1.79 per gallon. Actually if you look up gas prices you would find, "On May 11th, 2008 the average price of gas was $3.78. On Aug 6, 2008, the price of gas was $3.91, in the southern tier of NY." and if you were to average the price of gas I don't think her BS would pass the gas (smell) test. Yet despite this, no challenge.

Paul comes off as a fanatic but even fanatics can sound sane and reasonable from time to time. How do you think they convince themselves and others that they are reasonable and sane? I want to get rid of all mandates but if there are poor people in Texas then, yes the government should step in and help them out. WTF?

Gov. Christie talks BS on Meet the Press this morning, but that is his job. That is the current definition of a "politcian" - a total lying bull **** artist! Yes, both sides partake of the definition and prove that it is a true definition but what we hear from the right is absolutely astounding and you must assume that they believe that the electorate is so ignorant and just plain stupid! Take for instance the fairly recent discovery from Todd Akin about the female human anatomy and how it can react to trauma such as in the case of rape. How about someone more mainstream like Sen. Kyl in Arizona while talking about Planned Parenthood he stated a less than factual (less than, does that mean it was a lie?) statement about the percentage of abortion related services they perform and then his staff releases a statement saying that his comments were "not meant to be factual" ! What complete horse hooey (crap in case you needed factual clarification) ! This is yet another U.S. Senator making these kinds of statements (especially) to the public. Allen West and his I have it from reliable sources that their are communists among the Democratic elected Congress. A liar, psychotic or all three? (did he say T H R E E ?)

This certainly may be true, the electorate can be unbelievably dense and uninformed but we have always relied on the electorate in eventually giving the country what it wants. (even though it may take a term or two, or even close to a generation in resolving this choice)

It is that simple and true, when it comes down to brass tacks the Republican platform is to support big business profits and let the individual fend for themselves. No matter how it is spun that is the bottom line. It doesn't take a genius to see it throughout recent political history but there are legions that rationalize and through dissonance make themselves believe otherwise, to their own detriment!

After years of proving that tax cuts to the wealthy, little or no regulation and trickle-down economics doesn't work (look what it brought us to, the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression) they still won't acknowledge it. Look at the fairly recent vote for House bill, H.R.4173. Not a single Republican voted for the bill. A bill that contains regulatory constraints on financial companies. Ohhhh, that would be so bad to make the richest people, the richest companies in the world have more ethical restraint, be bound by laws that protect the public from their predatory and reckless practices. That would be bad, wouldn't it Republicans and those that rationalize the truth?

It is that simple and true when it comes down to brass tacks, the Republican platform is to support big business profits and let the individual fend for themselves. No matter how it is spun that is the bottom line. It certainly doesn't take a genius to see it throughout recent political history, but there are legions that rationalize and through dissonance make themselves believe otherwise, to our collective detriment!

Candidate Paul Ryan gets pissed off by a Michigan reporter questioning him about if America has a gun and crime problem. In his initial response before calling off the interview he talks about how to fight crime in America's inner cities by creating greater opportunities by among other things "how to teach people good discipline, good character" in the inner cities. What? This is the kind of talk that seeps out of Republicans mouths little by little when you listen to them talking in all the interviews they do (this is why Romney does little to no interviews) through the country. You've heard it before although they don't really want you to think of them as thinking this way, but it is as plain as the sky is blue.

Social Security benefits are not an entitlement, it is insurance YOU paid for! But Congress believes that the funds for Social Security and other social programs are an entitlement for them to raid! The want to make cuts and raid any surplus for themselves and then NEVER pay it back! SHAME on Congress!

What Mitt Romney and the Republican party would like, according to their own rhetoric is for the individual states to have ultimate power over their individual legislation - which if you actually stop and think about it without the ridiculous arguments from conservatives, is the dumbest thing ever! Let's say an individual state wishes to not allow available, affordable legal representation to the rural poor. They can certainly legislate that and not allow legal aid public funding for such an organization but is that constitutional? Conservatives justify this kind of exploitation by legislation assuming that the playing field is level. This is the kind of argument you get from those who thought slavery did not exploit, or that farm workers in California during the 50's and 60's were not exploited either through legislation or the lack of! Governor Reagan vetoed funding for rural legal aid allowing trumped up charges to be levied against the CRLA. A legal aid organization for rural workers.

So the latest elections are over and the winners and losers move on to things that matter, or well in most cases. But in the case of Mitt Romney and John McCain they are reliving their pitiful, angry, selfish and self-entitled lives over and over again. This is truly a light shinning on an individuals true character. Not what they paint as a public perception, nor even what they think of themselves albeit through dissonance colored glasses. It is what makes an individual that truly counts - who they really are through actions, deeds and not just words.